Vaidyanath temple also known as Baba Baidyanath dham is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, India. It is the most important Hindu pilgrimage site for the people of Jharkhand as well as Bihar. Temple of Vaidyanath is dedicated to lord Shiva and houses one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas found in different parts of the country. According to Puranas this place was known by various names such as Haridrapeetha, Ketaki van, Haritalik van, Chitabhoomi and Vaidyanath. It is believed that by offerings sincere worship of Vaijnath Jyotirlinga a person is relieved of all worries and miseries in life and attains Moksha. As a tradition, devotees carry ‘Kanwars' on their shoulders and complete their travel here.
Some schools of thought believe Vaidyanath near Parali in Andhra Pradesh to be the Vaidyanatha Jyotirlingam. Other schools of thought claim that Kiragram in Punjab and Dabhoi in Gujarat are the Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga temples.
Vaidyanath Temple Legend
Legend has it that demon King of Lanka, Ravana meditated to Lord Shiva, as he wanted to request him to come over to Sri Lanka and to protect his capital. Ultimately Shiva got pleased with his dedication and permitted Ravana to carry the sacred lingam with him to Lanka with the condition that if it was placed on the ground anywhere before reaching Lanka it would take root immediately at that spot. Ravana agreed to this condition and took the lingam and started his journey back to Lanka. But the gods feared the effect of the lingam being established in kingdom of demon king. So Varuna the God of water entered the belly of Ravana and caused him to feel the need to relieve himself. Vishnu then came down in the guise of an old Brahmin and volunteered to hold the Jyotirlingam as he relieved himself. Before Ravana returned, Vishnu placed the Jyotirlingam on the ground and disappeared. The lingam became rooted to the earth at that very spot. Ravana tried to forcefully remove the lingam and thereby broke a piece off the top of the lingam. However, failing to remove the lingam, a disappointed Ravana offered severe penances to Shiva here, and cut off nine of his heads as a part of his repentance. Shiva revived him and joined the heads to the body, like a Vaidya or a physician; hence this Jyotirlingam goes by the name Vaidyanath. It is said that Ravana made his obeisance to the lingam and daily used to come from Lanka and worship the lingam. The spot where Ravana came down to the earth has been identified with Harila Jori.
Another legend of the santhal tradition say that after the death of Ravana the lingam was worshipped by a hunter Baiju, and the lingam came to be known by Baijus name as Baidyanath.
As per another legend the heart of Sati fell at this place when her half burnt body was being carried by Shiva. Sati, the consort of Shiva was the daughter of Daksha Prajapati a descendant of Brahma. Sati had married Shiva against the wishes of her father. Once Daksh Prajapati organized a grand havan and invited all the deities except his son-in-law Lord Shiva. Against Shiva's wishes, Sati attended this sacrifice and was insulted by her father. Sati was unable to bear her father's insults toward her husband and immolated herself by jumping into the havan. When Lord Shiva heard of his wife's death he was furious. Holding Sati's body he began to pace the three worlds and danced the dance of destruction throughout the Universe. Due to this the balance of the universe was in trouble. Then Lord Vishnu – preserver of the universe with his Sudarshana Chakra cut the charred body of Sati into pieces and relieved Lord Shiva from pain and agony and saved the earth from Shiva’s anger. The parts of Sati body fell at many places and later was known as Shakti Peeth. According to the legend, the heart of Sati fell at Deoghar. However there is no shrine to commemorate this occurrence.
About Vaidyanath temple
The temple of Baba Baidyanath dham is situated in a spacious courtyard bounded by stone walls. Temple complex consists of 22 temples of which the biggest and the tallest is the Vaidyanath temple which stands 72-ft tall. The Baijnath or Vaidyanath temple faces east. The temple has been built in the Nagara style of architecture. There temple comprises of the main temple, the middle part of the main temple, and the entrance part of the main temple. The Jyotirlingam is enshrined in the main sanctum. The sanctum is covered by a tall shikhara. The temple has a large square mandapa hall. There is a porch in front of the mandap which rests on four pillars. At the entrance of the porch resides an idol of the Nandi. The walls of the temples are adorned with beautiful images of various gods and goddesses. Near the temple is the Shivaganga Lake. The Chandrakoopa well, near the main entrance is said to have been built and consecrated with water from several pilgrimages by Ravana.
Various festivals like Makara Sankranti and Maha Shivaratri are celebrated with great vigour here. Three important fairs, namely, Shri Panchmi mela held in January, Shivaratri mela held in March and the Bhadra Purnima mela held in September attracts huge number of crowds. Every year in the month of Shravan devotees undertake a rigorous 100-km pilgrimage on foot from Ajgaibinath (Sultanganj) to offer Holy Water to Baba Baidyanath. The pilgrimage is deemed complete with the homage paid at Basukinath, 43 km from Deoghar.
How to reach Baidyanath temple
The nearest airport to the temple is at Patna which is 281 km. This airport is well connected with rest of the country. The nearest railway station is Baidyanath Dham (Deoghar) which is a terminal station of a 7 kms branch line originating from Jasidih Rail Junction (15 km). Deoghar is connected by road to Calcutta, Giridih, Patna, Dumka, Madhupur etc. Regular direct bus services are available from Bhagalpur, Hazaribagh, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Gaya etc.